Galbatorix
Galbatorix is the king of Alagaësia. A former Dragon Rider, he is the primary antagonist of the Inheritance trilogy. History At the age of ten, Galbatorix was tested by the Riders and, because of his great skill, was accepted as one of their own. He was both proud and foolhardy, but his talent as a Rider was unsurpassed. Madness Along with several of his companions and their dragons, he entered the Spine on a dare. When their party was ambushed by Urgals, all were slain, except for Galbatorix. Driven mad by the loss of his dragon, he wandered in the wild for weeks, becoming so frightful in appearance that even the Urgals avoided him. Eventually, he found his way back to Vroengard, the Riders' capitol. Coming before the Council, he demanded another dragon. The Council realised that his mind was weakened, and consequently refused to meet his demand. This planted a seed of hatred in Galbatorix, and he began to believe it was the Riders' fault that his dragon had been slain. Having effectively convinced himself of this, he began plotting his revenge. The Fall of the Riders He persuaded a sympathetic Rider to kill one of the Elders; when the deed was done, he then turned on his ally and slew him. He fled into the wild, biding his time; eventually he convinced a young Rider named Morzan to support his cause. Morzan aided him in capturing the black dragon, Shruikan, killing Shruikan's rightful Rider. Besides Morzan, twelve other corrupted Riders came to serve Galbatorix; the thirteen together were known as the Forsworn. With the Forsworn behind him, Galbatorix managed to defeat the unprepared Riders, personally beheading Vrael, the head of the order. This brought an end to the peace the Riders had introduced to Alagaësia. The Empire Galbatorix and his followers defeated both the Elves and the Dwarves, both of whom afterwards went into hiding. Galbatorix then slew the rightful king of the Broddering Kingdom1, and took the title upon himself. His domain became known among his subjects, and to all of Alagaësia, as the Empire. 1Technically, the Broddering Kingdom still exists, but at this point it is little more than a name upon royal decrees. Most of those under Galbatorix's rule never even knew it existed. Afterward In Eldest, it is revealed that Galbatorix wishes to reestablish the order of the Dragon Riders, bringing them under his control. In order to do this, he has need of Saphira, who is the last female dragon in existence. He sends Murtagh to the Burning Plains with orders to capture both Eragon and Saphira, but Murtagh has compassion on his younger brother and allows him to escape. Comparisons Galbatorix is comparable in characterisation to both Sauron of The Lord of the Rings - as a "dark lord" and the primary antagonist of the work - and Emperor Palpatine and Anakin Skywalker of the Star Wars saga; he resembles Palpatine in his rise to power and unexpected overthrowing of the established order, and Anakin, in that he showed great skill and prowess in his youth, but eventually turned to the "dark side" and used his talents for evil. These similarities, and others in the Inheritance trilogy, to other well-known works have brought criticism from many (see critical reaction); in defence, it can be said that all fantasy is somewhat formula-driven. Author Christopher Paolini says that he draws his inspiration from "Nordic, Old English, and Icelandic sagas", much as Tolkien did. http://www.shurtugal.com/?id=trilogy/christopher/qanda Name= Galbatorix means "big king" in Noric. References Category:Characters